From Schoolroom to Workroom

The Writers’ Slate is an online publication that promotes reading and writing in children and young adults. As the intern for The Writers’ Slate my responsibilities are pretty vast because it is only me and the Editor, Dr. Franklin. Dr. Franklin only has one intern for the whole year. So, that is three Issues that The Writers’ Slate publishes and the intern is responsible for working on all three. During the year I am given the tasks of working as the assistant editor, corresponding with the writers and designing the layout/format.

To be a positive influence and contributor to The Writers’ Slate, intern candidates should have a natural love for reading and an appreciation for the art of writing. They should also have organizational skills and be punctual with meeting the deadlines required for the internship. Another skill that a future intern should encompass is communication skills, face to face, over the phone, and email. They should also be able to keep themselves on track and use problem solving skills, but never afraid to ask for help. Quite a bit of the work they will be doing is on their own time away from Slate meetings, so they need to have these valuable skills that embody a Slate intern.

Intern candidates should be able to communicate clearly through a variety of situations. As the Slate intern you will most likely be communicating with a writer constantly through the process of preparing an Issue. These communications need to be seen as professional and easily understood by someone of any age and someone whose first language might not be English. In Linda Driskill’s article “Understanding the Writing Contexts in Organizations” she talks about how the advances in technology and the expanding of intercultural population causes the need for understanding, empathy, and the ability to adapt while communicating to become more prevalent in today’s society. At The Writers’ Slate we receive submissions from a wide age range of students. When communicating with these students (“Congratulations” email or asking about spelling/minor improvements) you need to show patience and understanding.

Something that an intern candidate should also keep in mind is that even though The Writers’ Slate team is small there is still a work hierarchy to follow. In Chris Anson and Lee Forsbergs article “Moving Beyond the Academic Community: Transitional Stages in Professional Writing” they address the need for balance between the informal and professional in the work environment. Some of the tasks that will be asked of the intern are comparative to the assignments given in some of the Technical Writing classes. However, different from those assignments these tasks need to be handled in a professional manor because they are someone’s work being published in a respectable online forum. This should carry more weight for the intern and help them develop their professional self and their professional writing.

Finally, something else that would be beneficial to a Slate intern is some experience with both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign. It is okay if they are not overly proficient using it but should have a basic knowledge.  The Writers’ Slate is very understanding and likes to foster new ideas for design and creativity. So, if you are someone who has the ideas but are not very comfortable using these two Adobe tools don’t let it hold you back. A lot can be learned from trial and error.

Sources:

Anson, Chris, and Lee Forsberg. “Moving Beyond the Academic Community:  Transitional Stages in Professional Writing.”

Driskill, Linda. “Understanding the Writing Contexts in Organizations.”